Modeling behavior in the res hall

Last week, I wrote about how residents were similar to children, and today, I'm going to talk about how we as RA's should be modeling behavior in our residence hall, just like you would with young children.

If you're the RA of a first year hall, this is extremely important, because residents don't yet understand how on-campus living works. Most residents will be looking up to you to see what is acceptable behavior, and what isn't.

So, how do you model behavior? And what sort of behavior should you be modeling?

My go-to behavior to model in the beginning is an open door policy, and a welcoming environment in my bedroom. I want residents to stop by and say hello, and I want my residents to do the same. When my door is open, I'm always ready to have conversations with whoever stops by.

Another good behavior to model is the appreciation of ALL residents. Now, this is hard. As an RA, you'll probably connect with a lot of different types of residents, and you'll become closer with some. However, it's important to treat all your residents like you like them. Always saying hello, always smiling, and always being friendly is EXTREMELY important. If residents begin to feel like you don't like them, they don't feel welcome in the hall. They'll also probably avoid you. Like young children, we should treat all residents like they're worthy of our time. If you don't like a resident, don't let them know. Smile and pretend you do, because to them, you're one of the only people they can go to with questions.

On that same topic, you should also treat each resident with a fresh start. You'll deal with plenty of policy violations, but that doesn't give you an excuse to not treat your residents with respect. Even if a resident breaks policy and isn't the nicest person to you, it's your JOB to give them a fresh start the next day. Check in with them, continue to say, always smile, so they know that while they messed up, they still belong in the hall and can feel safe there. Residents will make mistakes, they'll be rude, but it's our job to make sure they feel safe in their residence hall. Most of the time, residents avoid us if they think we're mad at them, or if they feel the encounter will be awkward. It's our job to make sure they don't feel that way.

Another good behavior to model is being active on campus. As RA's, we're often busy, but we should be inviting our residents to on-campus events. Inviting them and going with them will build community as well as show residents that they can be involved on campus. And, it's cool to be involved!

You should also have no double standards. We as RA's preach about the policies, so we shouldn't be breaking said policies. When it comes to our job, it's very clear cut what we can and cannot do. For the sake of your residents, don't break policy. At least, don't do it in your own building.

Those are just examples of how to model positive behavior in your residence hall. It can be tricky, and it won't always be easy, but it's important to be that good role model for your residents. You want them to reach out to you, and feel comfortable doing so. If not, it'll create a rift between you and your residents, and it'll be awkward for all. It's our job to be good role models, so go out there and be the best RA you can be!